Monthly Archives: Aug 2016

Q: As a parent of elementary school children and teens, I’ve often wondered if the books they are carrying in their backpacks are too heavy.

A: Your intuition is on track. Statistics tell us that 79 million students in the U.S. carry heavy loads in backpacks. The risk associated with having back pain at an early age is that it often lasts through adulthood. In 2013, the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission reported nearly 22,200 strains, sprains, fractures and dislocations from school-age children and young adults carrying backpacks who were treated in emergency rooms, physician offices and clinics.

Q: Are there guidelines for the weight these children should be carrying in their backpacks?

A: Yes there is, and it is easy to remember. The backpack should not weigh more than 10% of the child’s body weight. Students and parents need to pay serious attention to this guideline. One study showed 55% of students carried backpacks heavier than the guideline.

Here are some tips to consider when purchasing your child’s school backpack this month (follow the links below for more details):

The “pinkie” side of the wrist is also known as the ulnar side. Pain on this side can be very common. It can result from injury to bones, cartilage, ligaments or tendons. Due to this wide range of causes, it can be difficult to determine why the pain is happening. Here are some possible causes of ulnar-sided wrist pain:

When the bones in the forearm are moved out of place with the bones in the upper part of the arm, the result is usually a dislocated elbow. All of the bones in the arm meet at the elbow joint, and dislocating the joint is a very serious injury.

What causes a dislocated elbow?

The dislocation of an elbow generally stems from some type of traumatic force that causes the bones to push apart from one another. This can happen during many types of sports, as well as in auto accidents. It can also occur when someone falls onto his or her outstretched arms and tries to stop the fall.

What are the signs and symptoms?

Those who have dislocated their elbow will generally experience an enormous amount of pain when the injury occurs. They will no longer be able to continue with whatever activity they were doing, as the pain will be too bad and they will have limited movement. The greatest amount of pain is generally felt at the elbow, but pain can also be in the rest of the arm, the hand, and the fingers.

It’s often possible to feel the elbow “pop” out of place when the injury occurs. The area around the elbow will also begin to swell. In the most serious cases, it can cause damage to the blood vessels, which will result in a loss of pulse in the arm. This is very serious and requires immediate medical care.

Power saws are extremely powerful tools that can be dangerous to those who use them. While this tool can be useful for cutting different types of materials, it can cause serious hand injuries that may result in the loss of a hand or finger. Exercise power saw safety by following these important tips:

Never use your hands to clear the scraps from a sawing worktable. Instead, use a push stick.

Do not wear loose clothing, jewelry or work gloves. They may get caught in the blade.

While the hand is made up of many small bones, the arm consists of three large bones. The arm bones are:

Humerus: This bone runs from the shoulder to the elbow.

Radius: This is one of two bones in the forearm. It is on the thumb side of the forearm (radial side). This bone spins around the ulna when you move your palm up and down.

Ulna: This is the other bone in the forearm. It is on the pinkie side (ulnar side) of the forearm. This bone does not spin.

Learn more about other bones of the upper extremity, including shoulder bones and hand bones in the anatomy section at www.HandCare.org. Here you can also learn about broken bones (i.e. how to know when your arm is broken and how it can be treated) and search for a hand surgeon to treat your injury.

The doctors at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia truly are amazing and the latest example caused a standing ovation at Tuesday night’s Baltimore Orioles game at Camden Yards. Prior to the game, nine-year-old Zion Harvey threw out the first pitch to Orioles outfielder Adam Jones.

While a nine-year-old throwing out the first pitch would be a fun story on its own, Harvey’s path to that moment made it special.

Roughly one year ago, Harvey—a Maryland resident—became the first child in history to undergo successful bilateral hand transplant surgery at CHOP in Philadelphia. When Harvey was two, he developed an infection that led to his hands and feet amputated. Years later, the doctors at CHOP helped remake his life and what happened in Baltimore on Tuesday night possible.

The HandCare Blog is managed by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the oldest and most prestigious medical specialty society dedicated to the hand and upper extremity. Visit www.HandCare.org for more information about conditions, injuries and treatment of the hand, arm, elbow and shoulder.